J.D. E120 Snowblower attachment works very poorly

[schreib69]

I would find a diagram showing the correct routing of the belt and make sure you install the belt following the correct routing. Make sure the belt tensioner is working properly and the tensioner's spring is attached properly on both ends.

I do not have the same models as you, but my experience on my JD equipment is the tensioner springs often become unattached from the tensioner. When I install a new belt it commonly seems too short and is a bear to get installed correctly. After some use the belt stretches and becomes easier to install.

Is there any chance you may have lost the tensioner spring for the snowblower's belt when removing the snowblower and storing it for the summer?

Exactly(!) what I was thinking after reading the OP post on page one of 4. I jumped here to the end of four dang pages and find that, after all this posting, John posted the most likely answer! You got MY vote!

 

[Etbrown44]

How about asking a friend, neighbor, church member, or coworker etc who is familiar with mechanics? Anyone familiar with this kind of equipment should be able to solve this quickly. I've bought automotive, farm, and industrial belts forever and never seen one that didn't use the outer circumference of the belt as its length. (I'd say one going by the inside dim would be rare)

Either way, can you get a little help?

 

[schreib69]

How about asking a friend, neighbor, church member, or coworker etc who is familiar with mechanics? Anyone familiar with this kind of equipment should be able to solve this quickly. I've bought automotive, farm, and industrial belts forever and never seen one that didn't use the outer circumference of the belt as its length. (I'd say one going by the inside dim would be rare)

Either way, can you get a little help?

Heck, at the least take an image of the belt threadup and show it to a tech (one who has a brain) at the JD shop to double check both the threadup and the presence of the idler pulley spring etc; have the parts guy recommended the exact model # and it's length; and while there ask him to define which length it is-- ie the OD right?!

 

[5eds1]

By any chance did you forget to flip the tensioner arm on the snowblower?

 

[5eds1]

 

[schreib69]

View attachment 70313

Perfect!

 

[Honest Abe]

I bought it new and have manuals for both the tractor and the snowblower. The issue is the belt is so loose it just doesn’t provide enough tension to turn the pulley when there is resistance.

in the replacement parts section, what belt part # does it call for ... ?

 

[epare]

Here's the badge from the snowblower.

Okay...you obviously have an appropriate JD snowthrower for the E120. There are two different snowthrowers for the E120 and both use the same drive belt. Yours is the 91 Snowblower, 44 Inch, IM044SBB listed at https://partscatalog.deere.com/jdrc/navigation/equipment/22259. Go to that page and click on the link for that snowblower. Then, click on the link for '3 Pulleys and Drive Belt, Snowblower, ST899498' and scroll down the page until you see '25 V-Belt, Effective Length 3809.6 mm (149.98 inch)' and note that its part number is M158130.
Now check to see that the dealer sold you an M158130 belt and let me know what you determine. If they didn't sell you the correct belt, you either need to get the correct belt from them or from some other reseller.
Depending on the dealer price for any item, I either purchase the item from the dealer; or, I ordinarily go to eBay and search on the part number and then sort the results by 'price + shipping: lowest first' and then look for a belt that will arrive to me quickly and is either OEM or at least as good as OEM and is priced lower than the dealer price.
While you're at it, look at the diagram of the V-belt and pulleys to be certain your setup is identical and that you understand how the tension on the V-belt can be adjusted. - You can email me at epare184@maine.rr.com

 

[Gord Baker]

I have a John Deere E120 lawn mower which I've owned for about 4 years with a snowblower attachment. I live in Minnesota and the snowblower isn't able to move much more than about 3" of snow, we are expecting 6" tomorrow. I thought there might be an issue with the belt so I went to the local John Deere dealership and bought a new belt. When installed it hangs very loosely, should it? When engaged it barely holds the pully. Honestly it's useless.

I've spoken with the John Deere dealership and they tell me I've installed it incorrectly. I've watched all the You Tube videos and it seems pretty simple. Is this what I should expect?

 

[Gord Baker]

EXCELLENT Response. Follow it.